These beers might look like the ones in the six pack at the back of your fridge, but consuming these heavy hitters should be done in sips, not sessions.

A battle has been raging over the strongest beer title for quite some time. This past fall saw the newest reigning champ knock down a considerable contender, but the beers that lead up to this achievement aren't anything to dismiss. These beers might look like the ones in the six pack at the back of your fridge, but consuming these heavy hitters should be done in sips, not sessions.
If you're in the mood for something a little tamer, try sipping on a normal brew at one of the best beer bars in the U.S. What they lack in ABV, they make up for in atmosphere.

More

view gallery

01of13

01Of13

01Of13

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Brewer: BrewDog

Country: Scotland

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 32%

Like any Imperial Stout, Tactical Nuclear Penguin has some deep, dark notes — molasses and caramel are often cited — but the overwhelming taste is alcohol. According to the BrewDog blog, the name is inspired by "the amount of time it spent exposed to extreme cold," or the process by which they got it to pack such a powerful alcoholic punch. The beer is kept at freezing temperatures and the frozen water crystals are removed, resulting in a more concentrated beer. This is also where the long running feud between BrewDog and German brewery Schorschbräu began.

01Of13

Freeze the Penguin

Freeze the Penguin

Brewery: Revelation Cat Craft Brewing

Country: Italy

ABV: 35%

You got it — the name of this dizzyingly alcoholic beer is a direct stab at the beer it surpassed, Tactical Nuclear Penguin. After this beer was released, the battle to the strongest brew became largely a three-brewery battle and the Italians were edged out.

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Brewer: BrewDog

Country: Scotland

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 32%

Like any Imperial Stout, Tactical Nuclear Penguin has some deep, dark notes — molasses and caramel are often cited — but the overwhelming taste is alcohol. According to the BrewDog blog, the name is inspired by "the amount of time it spent exposed to extreme cold," or the process by which they got it to pack such a powerful alcoholic punch. The beer is kept at freezing temperatures and the frozen water crystals are removed, resulting in a more concentrated beer. This is also where the long running feud between BrewDog and German brewery Schorschbräu began.

2Of13

Freeze the Penguin

Brewery: Revelation Cat Craft Brewing

Country: Italy

ABV: 35%

You got it — the name of this dizzyingly alcoholic beer is a direct stab at the beer it surpassed, Tactical Nuclear Penguin. After this beer was released, the battle to the strongest brew became largely a three-brewery battle and the Italians were edged out.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

3Of13

Watt Dickie

Brewer: BrewDog

Country: Scotland

ABV: 35%

BrewDog calls this one, "insanely amplified IPA masquerading as a spirit." This isn't IPA as you know it; the process condenses the beer, heightening qualities like taste, aroma, and mouthfeel, until you get a "high octane" beer that's great for sipping (not gulping).

Courtesy of BrewDog

4Of13

Struise Black Damnation VI – Messy

This beer might look like the perfect, appealing eisbock stout with its espresso-hued head, but beware its double ice distillation. That concentrating process results in a beer almost so thick you can chew it. Beer enthusiasts love the peatiness of this beer, reminiscent of a good dram of Scotch. Skip the glass; pour this one in a snifter and sip accordingly.

Flickr/brostad

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

5Of13

Esprit de Nöel

Brewer: Le Baladin

Country: Italy

ABV: 40%

This heady holiday-named beer is the result of the cooperation of Villa Rose distillery and Le Baladin. To get its signature good cheer, the Baladin Christmas beer was distilled and then aged in oak barrels for three years to impart a slight wooden note.

Courtesy of Baladin

6Of13

Sink the Bismarck

Brewer: BrewDog

Country: Scotland

ABV: 41%

Serious hops fans would swoon over the bitterness — we're talking four times the hops — in this hardcore IPA. To achieve what was at the time the highest ABV, Sink the Bismarck was freeze-distilled four times before stealing the reigning title away from Schorschbräu, albeit briefly.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

7Of13

Schorschbock 43

BrewDog and Schorschbräu have been one-upping each other in the strongest beer race for a while now. Though both have surpassed the level of 40-43% ABV beers at this point, when Schorschbock 43 was introduced, bumping BrewDog's Sink the Bismarck! off the top spot back in 2009-2010, tensions were high. The beer was limited run with hand-numbered bottles signed by the brewer, so don't get any ideas about getting your hands on this one.

Courtesy of Schorschbräu

8Of13

End of History

Brewer: BrewDog

Country: Scotland

ABV: 55%

Talking about a beer that at one point held the honor of being the strongest beer in the world should involve talking about tasting notes, color, and head, but it's hard to look beyond this beer's presentation. The bottles are stuffed into taxidermied squirrels; no, your eyes didn't lie to you.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

9Of13

Schorschbock 57

In an interview with the master brewer behind Schorschbräu, Georg Tscheuschner, he seemed content to have 57 be his final beer in the run for world's strongest beer because any higher concentration would force him to deviate from the longstanding German tradition of Eisboch (iceboch), in which the beer is frozen in order to separate frozen water from the concentrated beer. Only time will tell if that's really the last word.

Courtesy of Schorschbräu

10Of13

Start the Future

Brewer: ‘t Koelschip

Country: Netherlands

ABV: 60%

In a direct response to BrewDog's "End of History," the Dutch brewery released this sky-high ABV beer with a bit of an antagonistic name. This bottle saw a much lower price point because it didn't come with a dead animal koozie, but we guess it's up to you to decide if that's a pro or con.